Hostway problems?

[emp]

OK, after conversig with some people I got hosting at dreamhost and decided to register some domains with hostway.

So they sent me a mail stating they need "additional" information. After a short "WTF?" I went to their form, which asked me a lot of information I had already given. The only information I had not provided was the name and phone number of my bank.

Well, being in Switzerland, the form would refuse the GERMAN bank number as "not a correct Swiss phone number". Well...duuuuh!

So I sent them a mail yesterday and now, all is quiet. And as long as I am waiting my order is not being processed.

This is a fast growing, competitive niche and I want to be able to start the site ASAP!

With every hour going by, I am getting more annoyed. :ticking:

Here a copy of my mail:

Hi there.

I just registered a new domain with your service and now have to fill
in "additional" information.

My questions are like follows:

- It is not explained WHY I have to fill in this information. Please elaborate.
- a lot of the information is redundant / has already been provided.

- Your form does not play nice with my telephone numbers. Yes, my
phone number and adress are in switzerland, however, my bank is
German. The form will not accept the correct number for the bank. I.e.
I can not complete the form.

Once again, I would like to know WHY this additional information
(phone number and name of bank, everythign else has elready been
provided.)

Kind regards,
xyzxyz

 

[emp]

OK, seems no one can help me here. I can do my best to keep you updated though.

The story continues....

order@hostway.com
- This was the adress given to me in the mail. No reply to 3 mails in as many days.

support@hostway.com
- The official support mail. They replied, but only to tell me to "contact billing". After I complained that they should sort this thing before I contact yet another of their departments, communication went silent.

billing@hostway.com
- So I decided to bite the bullet and contact billing. No one to man the phones there, they are in their weekend. Well, they do have 24/7 mail support @ billing, or so the website say. Yay!!

24/7 mail support?

Think again.

Again, no reply to anything.

Closing thoughts
I am pissed. They are sitting on a domain name registration and there is no way I can contact them or anything. Meanwhile, this domain is probably snatched away from me. :angryfire: I can not contact them on the phone (from Europe!!) because they hung me out till the weekend. All tries to contact them via mail have failed.

Any other registrar with better service?

::emp::

 

[pig2cat]

hmm, that sucks
you can try using godaddy or domainsite to register domains, they are quite good

 

[emp]

The problem is that *this* domain now lies with them, or my order lies with them, so I can't even switch to using someone else.

::emp::

 

[emp]

OK, updating this now.

:angrysoapbox_sml:

To sum this up, although this is far from finished, my experience with hostway has been less than stellar.
The right adjective would fall in the vicinity of surreal, abstract or kafkaesk.

All my emails get either ignored or I am being told to go to another department.

Their 24/7 billing support IS NOT. They work 8-5, 5 days a week. Which I think is OK, but please, do not lie to me about it.

The answers I did get are completely missing the point. Yesterday was the best yet.

Answering quite an upset mail I sent to "support" I got an answer by the billing department.

The reply did not answer ANY of my questions, but provided a bill that I simply do not understand.

It might be the formatting, it might be English being my second language, but ... huh?

*********************** STATEMENT OF ACTIVITY ***********************
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Following please find your account summary for the period of 2006-06-17 to 2006-07-20.

Date Description Payment Charges
----------- -------------------------------------- --------- ---------
2006-07-17 Credit Card Payment $ 1.95

2006-07-17 Registration fee for nottherealname.com: $ 6.95
2006-07-17 to 2007-07-17

2006-07-20 nottherealname domain name taken $ 1.95

2006-07-20 Refund/Credit by Credit Card $ 1.95

-------------------------------------------------- --------- ---------
Activity Total $ 3.90 $ 8.90

=================

BALANCE SUMMARY:
Previous Balance $ 0.00
+ Charges/Debits $ 8.90
- Payments/Credits $ (3.90)
--------------
= New Balance $ 5.00
==============

All of these payments/charges, etc.. are for their $1.95 SPECIAL!
I guess it's more than that.

My sitecontrol panel is NOT working, but the email from support is..you guessed right... missing in action.

I really do not know what to make of this anymore.

OK, rant mode off.... number 1 hosting company my ASS.

Argh.

::emp::

PS: If anyone from hostway reads this, feel free to chime in or sent me a PM.